The one bright spot for homeowners is this: As long as you've been paying your premiums, the standard homeowner's insurance policy covers fire damage to your home, structures on your property and most of your belongings.

Certain specialty items, such as art or jewelry, might need a rider in order to be covered.

Here's what you should look out for if you're preparing to file an insurance claim after you've lost everything.

Document everything

The best preparation in advance of a disaster is to keep a "go bag" of important materials — including your insurance policies — that you can readily grab before fleeing, said Janet Ruiz, a spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute.

Maintain images of your belongings and your home, and keep these in cloud storage.

This is a way to provide your insurer with proof of the items you own and the condition they were in prior to the disaster.

In order to get your claim processed as quickly as possible after a disaster, be sure to report it to your insurer immediately and take note of your claim number, said J. Robert Hunter, director of insurance at the Consumer Federation of America.

Know your coverage

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

A plume of smoke rises above the Camp Fire as it moves through the area on November 8, 2018 in Paradise, California.

Understand the extent to which you have additional living expenses coverage as part of your homeowners or renters insurance policy.

This coverage foots the bill for hotel stays and meals in the event that your dwelling is uninhabitable. Insurers have coverage limits when it comes to paying for these costs, capping the amount that they'll pay for or the applicable length of time, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

You may be entitled to money up-front for these costs, too, so be sure to keep your receipts, said Hunter.

Work on repairs

Your insurer will send a claims adjuster to assess the damage and it may recommend a contractor to provide you with estimates.

If you have a trusted local contractor, consider obtaining a repair estimate so that you have a guideline to follow when you're talking to your claims adjuster, said Hunter.